Tuesday, September 2, 2008

(Holy moley...I just realized today that I'll be back in China next friday...yikes! Prepare yourself for one long-ass post about China...)

After a busy morning working at their different factories, our hosts rushed us to a nearby dock and booked us onto a high-speed ferry to HONG KONG. The ferry had airline-style seats and seat belts...with good reason. A couple of times during the hour-and-a-half trip, the boat hit some swells and caught some major air!

Before we knew it, we were in VICTORIA HARBOUR, surrounded by skyscrapers:

Soon, we were standing in line at immigration. We split up into different lines, hoping that it would speed up the process. We were in KOWLOON, which is part of mainland China, across the way from Hong Kong proper, which is on an island:

We hailed some bright red taxis to take us to our hotel. Just like in Britain, people drove on the left side of the road. There were also DOUBLE DECKER BUSES. Supposedly, Hong Kong is the only place in all of Asia that uses double decker buses in their transportation system:

We checked in to our rooms at the HARBOUR PLAZA METROPOLIS in Kowloon just long enough to check out our view of the foggy harbor and rooftop swimming pool:

We all piled into a taxi which took us to NATHAN ROAD, the main shopping district in Kowloon. We had our first experience with Hong Kong's world famous billboards and signs, which floated above and around the crowded streets like a million little pop-up windows on a computer screen, each screaming for your attention. It was pretty overwhelming. No photo can really do the experience proper justice:

Our main goal was to find this mall called the CTMA CENTRE, which is a mall comprised entirely of little toy stores. Missy was on a mission to find BLYTHE DOLLS and accessories. We hit pay dirt when we found the two stores that are so dear to hardcore Blythe Doll collectors, SUGAR MAG and BRILLIANT HAUTE COUTURE. Missy was in Blythe heaven...and going broke right quick!

Some of the shops were so tiny with toys crowded into every nook and cranny. One shop even had a special see-thru floor stuffed full with extra inventory:

After several hours of shopping, we headed back down to street level to take in all the hustle and bustle of Nathan Road (which is actually several closed-off blocks reserved for pedestrians). The later it got, the more and more crowded the streets became:

Missy couldn't believe that we were actually in Hong Kong:

We stopped for a cold fruity drink at HAPPY LEMON...their motto is "Happy Everyday!" We believe them:

We saw billboards for ho-friendly hourly hotels:

Missy and I hit up the street vendor stalls where knock-offs of all kinds could be had:

Seated in front of a busy subway entrance was this blind lady quietly plucking a banjo. Hoards of people swarmed their way around her, barely acknowledging her existance. I made sure to drop money in her pot before we passed under the intersection:

When we returned to our hotel, there was fruit waiting for us! There was also a special message for Missy waiting on our T.V. as soon as we turned it on:

We took stock of all we got during our shopping spree and calculated how much money we had wasted: